Tag Archives: Conference

10Sep/24

WCRA/MCRA 9th Annual Regional Virtual Education Conference

** REGISTRATION ENDED NOVEMBER 1 **

IMPORTANT NOTE: Limited seating for this conference only 280 seats available!

Agenda

Thursday, November 7

7:50am – 8:00am Welcome
8:00am – 9:00am Breast Reconstruction
Dr. Andrew Dodd, Plastic Surgery, Aurora Advocate Health
9:00am – 10:00am Treatment of Melanoma
Dr. Callisia Clarke, Surgical Oncology, Froedtert Hospital
10:00am – 10:15am Morning Break
10:15am – 11:15am Coding Breast and Melanoma Case Scenarios
Nancy Sonnleitner and Sara Biese, SWTC CIM Program Instructors
11:15am – 12:00pm
WCRA Business Meeting*  Minnesota Business Meeting*
12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch Break
1:00pm – 2:00pm Radiation: The Machines, the Plans, the Coding
Ashley Maxey, BSRT(T), ODS
2:00pm – 3:00pm Radiation Coding for Breast
Ashley Maxey, BSRT(T), ODS

Friday, November 8

8:20am – 8:30am Welcome
8:30am – 9:30am Disease Site Presentation: Hematopoietic
Vicki Hawhee, BS, MEd, ODS, Baptist Health South Florida
9:30am – 10:30am Histology 2024
Vicki Hawhee. BS. MEd, ODS, Baptist Health South Florida
10:30am – 10:45am Morning Break
10:45am – 11:45am
Wisconsin State Updates
Jessica Link Reeve, DrPH, MPH
 Minnesota State Updates
Jennifer Nelson, CTR, NR-EMT
11:45am – 12:30pm Lunch
12:30am – 1:30pm What’s in STORE for 24
Janet Vogel, ODS, Omega Health
1:30pm – 2:30pm SSDI’s, Surgery, and Stage, Oh My!
Janet Vogel, ODS, Omega Health
2:30pm Closing Comments

Important Conference Information

*Business Meetings: If you are not a member of WCRA or MCRA, you will need to log off the Zoom link at 10:45am and sign back in after lunch.

State Updates and Business Meetings: These meetings will be held in separate Zoom meeting rooms. Please make sure you click on the correct link that will be provided in an email on Monday, November 4.

Certificates: A CE certificate will be emailed to registered participants on Monday, November 4. The NCRA Program Recognition Committee has determined this program supports 10 CE hours of which 7 hours meet the Category A requirement.

Speaker Information

Andrew Dodd, MD

As a physician specializing in plastic surgery, Dr. Andrew Dodd, MD, performs hand surgery, as well as reconstructive surgery of the face, extremities, trunk and breasts after cancer or trauma. He also provides aesthetic surgery for facial aging, body contouring and breast surgery. He has special interest in reconstructive surgery to correct cancer defects of the face and nose, burn deformity, hand surgery for Dupuytren’s contracture, nerve compressions, fractures, tendon injuries, burns and trigger finger.


Callisia Clarke, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO

Dr. Clarke specializes in Surgical Oncology with a focus on tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract, sarcomas, melanomas and regional therapies for advanced malignancies.  She is an associate professor of surgery and the division chief of surgical oncology at Froedtert. She is also President of the Association of Academic Surgery. On May 14, 2024, President Biden announced his intent to appoint Dr. Callisia Clarke, to serve as a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board.


Ashley Maxey, BSRT(T), ODS

Ashley is an oncology data specialist who graduated in 2021 from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College with an associate in CIM. Her knowledge of oncology is widespread as she also earned a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology with a concentration in Radiation Therapy in 2013 from Armstrong Atlantic State University. As a student, she presented on various topics including Lung Adenocarcinoma: Effecting the Non-Smoker and self-conducted IRB study on Integrative Medicine for cancer patients. She has presented at NCRA in 2023 and 2024 with a focus on radiation coding. Working in small remote clinics and large research facilities as a radiation therapist, her understanding of the cancer treatment process does not end there. In 2020, she was diagnosed with breast cancer which solidified her recent transition into cancer registry. Having an extensive clinical background plus the appreciation of being a patient firsthand, lends her the passion to teach others about how radiation and cancer registry work together.


Vicki Hawhee, ODS

ODS credentialed since 2011.

Vicki began her career as a Medical Technologist at Clearwater Community Hospital after completing her bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Florida State University and her internship at University Hospital in Jacksonville.  She then went on to the University of South Florida and Achieved a master’s degree in Adult Education, and began working for Tampa College as an instructor, then a program coordinator and finally the Academic Dean.  She left the college after her daughter was born, to work from home and did Medical Transcription for a few years until finding the Cancer Registry as a profession.  She thoroughly enjoys this work and the wonderful people she has had the pleasure of meeting along the way.  She served 2 terms on the NCRA Council on Certification and has been on multiple task forces and currently serves as the CoC Special Studies Liaison.


Janet Vogel, ODS

ODS credentialed since 1997.

Janet is the Compliance & Quality Auditor/Educator – Cancer Registry for Omega Healthcare.  She has over 25 years of experience in cancer registry. In 2011, Janet served as manager of education for ERS until she moved on to her current position with Omega Healthcare (formally himagine solutions) in 2018.  Currently, Janet is the Public Relations and Communications Director of NCRA’s Board of Directors.


Jessica Link Reeve, DrPH, MPH, MCHES®

Jessica is the supervisor for the Population Registries Unit in the Office of Health Informatics at the Department of Health Services (DHS). She serves as the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System Director and is responsible for directing and supervising unit staff performing surveillance, data analysis, data modernization and information systems administration functions critical to cancer surveillance and organ and tissue donation. Jess received her Doctorate in Public Health Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


Jennifer Nelson, ODS-C

ODS credentialed since 2012.

Jennifer has been with the central registry for over 10 years and is currently a Health Program Representative and the Education and Training Coordinator for the Minnesota Cancer Reporting System (MCRS). Before working at the central registry Jennifer was employed in a CoC accredited hospital registry, so she has experience in a cancer registry from a hospital perspective also. Jennifer has served in several positions on the executive committee for the Minnesota Cancer Registrars Association (MCRA), as well as served on an educational committee for the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) from 2020-2022.


Nancy Sonnleitner, RHIT, ODS

Medical Record Technology Graduate of Moraine Park Technical Institute in 1980

ODS credentialed since 1995

Nancy has more than 40 years of experience as a Cancer Registry professional. She currently is as an Independent Contractor, abstracting cancer cases for facilities. In addition, Nancy provides quality assurance and education for Maryland Central Registry.

Nancy serves on the NCRA Foundation Board and Wisconsin Cancer Registrars Association, supporting cancer registrars along with empowering them to grow their knowledge and capacity to become independent experts in the cancer registry field. Nancy has invested in and supported others through innovative teaching measures and educational strategies.

Prior to retiring, she held the position as the Education and Training Coordinator for the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (WCRS), her responsibilities included ensuring that timely, quality, and complete data were submitted to the Central Registry. Before transitioning to the Central Registry, Nancy was employed by a CoC accredited healthcare system responsible for all areas of the cancer registry including abstracting cancer cases, preparation for the ACoS survey process, cancer committee, and cancer conferences.


Sara Biese, RHIT, CTR

Health Information Technology Graduate of NWTC in 1997

Started in the Cancer Registry in 1998; ODS credentialed since 2000

Sara is currently the Cancer Information Management (CIM) Program Director and instructor at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC) in Fennimore, WI. With the assistance of the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (WCRS) Task Force, she was instrumental with the implementation of the CIM Program being offered at SWTC in 2014. She also developed the CIM course curriculum for the program. Between 1998 – 2017, Sara worked in a multi-facility cancer registry as the coordinator for most of those years.


** REGISTRATION ENDED NOVEMBER 1 **

IMPORTANT NOTE: Limited seating for this conference only 280 seats available!

09Sep/22

WCRA/MCRA 7th Annual Regional Virtual Education Conference

October 13 & 14, 2022
Hosted by: WCRA

We are pleased to invite you to register for the Wisconsin/Minnesota Cancer Registrar Associations Annual Regional Virtual Educational Conference October 13 and 14, 2022, hosted by WCRA.

In keeping with the Covid-19 safety guidelines, the WCRA/MCRA 7th Annual Regional Educational Conference will be held virtually.

This conference is being offered FREE of charge to all participants. However, you must register to participate in the conference.

Registration deadline is Wednesday October 5, 2022.

Registration Link:  https://fs6.formsite.com/S2EVW5/vbmdlumbmf/index.html

Click to download the conference brochure and agenda! (.pdf)

** Conference link and handouts will be sent via email to those registered on Friday, October 7. **

The conference will be recorded; however, this will only be used to document attendance and save the chat questions. The conference recording will not be provided to participants or others not in attendance.

Hope to “see” you there!

NCRA CE credits are being applied for.

18Dec/19
Conference 2020

NCRA 2020 Conference Registration and Hotel

Now Open! NCRA 2020 Conference Registration and Hotel
Conference 2020

NCRA’s 46th Annual Educational Conference will be held May 31-June 3, 2020, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The conference will showcase critical topics to help cancer registrars stay current and up-to-date with advancements and changes in the field. Attendees can earn 18.75 CEs.
Registration Information
Note: April 17, 2020, is the cut-off date for the early-bird registration rate.
Questions about registration? E-mail or phone 703-299-6640 at extensions 311 or 320.
Danielle Chufar Annual Conference Scholarship
The Danielle Chufar Memorial Annual Conference Scholarship is named in memory of the NCRA staff member who passed away in February 2004 from cancer. The scholarship covers the full conference registration fee, round-trip coach airfare, and hotel accommodations for three nights. Deadline: February 20, 2020. Download the application.
Hotel Reservations at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is where all events will occur and where sleeping rooms are reserved. NCRA has negotiated a single/double sleeping room rate of $199/night. Room reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis until sell-out or May 1, 2020, whichever comes first. Make reservations by calling 407-939-4686; use the code “NCRA”. (Note: The days and hours to make reservations via phone are Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-6:00 PM EST and Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM EST.) You are encouraged to make your reservations online by going to www.ncra-usa.org/Hotel.Please note that at the time of booking, the total cost of one night’s room/tax will be charged.
Ground Transportation
For your convenience, Disney’s Magical Express offers complimentary motor coach transportation to/from Orlando International Airport for attendees staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Once your room is booked at the Coronado Springs Resort, details on how to arrange this service will be included in an email confirmation from the Coronado Springs Resort.
Air Travel 
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is served by 40+ airlines and is the closest airport to the Disney resorts.
Conference Workshops
CTR Exam Prep Workshop: Hands-On Strategies for the Open-Book Section
The CTR Exam Prep Workshop: Hands-On Strategies for the Open-Book Section is Sunday, May 31, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. This one-day training is for those preparing to take the CTR exam in 2020. Faculty will focus exclusively on the open-book portion of the exam, providing a thorough review of resources and offering hands-on case studies to help candidates prepare for the exam.
Fundamentals of Abstracting Workshop 
The Fundamentals of Abstracting Workshop is Monday and Tuesday, June 1-2 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM; and Wednesday, June 3, from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. The two-and-a-half-day workshop is intended for new registrars and will focus on the concepts of quality abstracting and data reporting practices. The agenda includes hands-on experiences and interactive exercises using patient cases, resource materials, manuals, and databases to provide the participant opportunities to experience a variety of basic and complex abstracting exercises. The faculty will provide a theoretical basis for the tasks and activities associated with abstracting and a comprehensive and thorough review of the topics most important to abstractors. The Fundamentals of Abstracting Workshop is suitable for cancer registry employees with between six months and two years of experience.
2020 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop 
2020 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop is Thursday, June 4, from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM; and Friday, June 5, from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The workshop will expand registrars’ knowledge of several important topics: the 2018 Histology Coding Rules, New Data Items for 2021, SEER Quality initiatives, advanced pathology concepts, and more! Participants will complete assigned cases in SEER*Educate before the workshop (details to be provided). In-depth coding and abstracting training will be based on participants’ coding of the assigned cases. No meals will be provided. Space is limited. The registration for the SEER post-conference workshop is separate from NCRA’s Annual Conference registration. To attend, please register online using the SEER Workshop Registration link.
Need a Letter-of-Support to Attend NCRA 2020
NCRA reaches out to administrators to support cancer registry staff in attending its annual educational conference. The letter-of-support highlights the value and importance of attending the conference. We need your help in identifying who should receive this important letter on your behalf. The letter is not limited to hospital facilities. Any NCRA member who feels they would benefit from such support (hospital, central, federal, service provider, vendor, etc.) is encouraged to provide contact information. Letters of support will mail beginning January 6, 2020.
NCRA 2020 Exhibitors  
One of the highlights of NCRA’s annual conference is the dynamic exhibit hall, which will showcase the newest in cancer registry products and services. Click here for a list of companies and organizations supporting NCRA by exhibiting at the conference. Interested in exhibiting? Learn more!
Volunteers Opportunities
NCRA needs volunteers to help with monitoring sessions, bag preparation, and business meeting assistance. Use the 2020 Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet.
State Association Basket Raffle
State associations create beautiful baskets that represent their communities and are raffled during the conference. Interested in participating? Use the 2020 State Basket Sign-Up Sheet.
2020 Conference Mobile App
The NCRA 2020 conference mobile app will include the conference schedule, session descriptions, links to PowerPoint presentations, exhibitor information, and details on attractions in Orlando. Instructions on how to download the app will be sent to attendees in mid-May.